Asian Legal Review

Millions of tonnes of ash and rocks from an erupting Philippine volcano could bury nearby communities because of heavy rain, authorities said on Saturday, as tens of thousands flee over fears of a deadly explosion.
The official Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) issued the warning as heavy rain lashed the surroundings of the Mayon volcano, which has been emitting flaming lava and giant clouds of superheated ash for about a week. Rainwater could combine with the…

The procession through Seoul this week of the North Korean pop singer Hyon Song-wol, best known for her song Excellent Horse-like Lady, has inspired hopes for peace thanks to North Korea’s participation in the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics – but for others, her visit conjured images of the Trojan Horse.
Arriving in a plush grey fur flanked by a delegation of severe-looking men in dark suits, Hyon visited the South for two days to inspect the venue where North Korea’s…

The government may be forced to revisit the operation of the apprenticeship levy after figures showed apprenticeship starts have actually fallen since its introduction, an expert has said.

Full planning permission for the Northern Irish section of a planned electricity interconnector between the north and the Republic of Ireland has been granted.

Barbados, Côte d’Ivoire, Jamaica, Malaysia, Panama and Tunisia have signed a multilateral instrument (MLI) to amend double tax treaties to bring into effect changes designed to prevent tax avoidance by multinational groups, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) has announced . These signatures bring the total number of signatories to date to 78.

As China continues its inexorable rise, global strategists are increasingly looking – anxiously – to India. Why?
Many are hoping that India, with its huge population and roaring gross domestic product (GDP) growth, is likely to become a competitor to its northern neighbour.
In geopolitical terms, the Indians are expected to stand up to Chinese expansion in the Indian Ocean (in the guise of the Belt and Road Initiative).
Indeed, this week the Association of South-east Asian Nations (…

At least 31 people are reported to have been killed in a blaze at a hospital in South Korea on Friday.
Video footage and pictures showed a helicopter flying above the building in Miryang, engulfed by heavy grey smoke and surrounded by multiple fire trucks.
The national news agency Yonhap reported the death toll at 31. Earlier, the national fire agency had said 15 people had been confirmed dead, 11 were in critical condition, and 40 more were injured.
“Two nurses said they had seen fire…

UN human rights experts called on the Philippines government on Thursday to allow independent news website Rappler to operate, voicing concern at rising rhetoric against voices critical of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The country’s Securities and Exchange Commission revoked Rappler’s licence on January 11 for ownership violations. Maria Ressa, chief of Rappler, met state investigators on Monday to answer what she called a suspicious complaint about a 2012 story.
“We are gravely…

US technology company Qualcomm has been fined more than €997 million by the European Commission over a breach of EU competition rules.

The United States has slapped new sanctions on Chinese and North Korean firms and individuals that it said support the Pyongyang regime of Kim Jong-un and his nuclear weapons programme. The move comes as the US seeks to choke the flow of goods and materials crucial to North Korea’s economy such as oil, electronics and metals, and pressure Kim to halt the development of nuclear weapons that threaten the region and potentially the US mainland. Following UN sanctions, US Treasury…